A Light in the Darkness

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. ! Corinthians 10:31 ESV                 Dr. R. Albert Mohler often speaks of theological triage as a process of determining the priority, importance, of given issues. It is a good place to start when trying to determine what to do in any given situation.   It is sometimes a messy process, and 1 Corinthians 10 provides such an example. Idolatry is clearly wrong, and cannot ever be in any way right. We might think then that we should take every precaution to avoid partaking in anything related to idolatry, such as eating food offered to idols. But Paul instructs us not even to ask, and only to abstain if the information is volunteered. You see there are some other considerations to be taken into account.                 One consideration which we must always keep in mind whatever we are doing is that of motivation. It is not enough to do right; we must do right for the right reason. To do right for the wr

Why is light given to him who is in misery, and life to the bitter in soul… Job 3:20             Job is in bad shape, far worse I imagine than any of us have ever been. Job lost it all, and he had a lot to lose. Even His health is gone. His friends have been struck dumb by his plight for seven days and seven nights. In the next few verses Job continues to lament by finding death far preferable to life. He wants to die; he wants to die very badly.               I pray you never have, and never will find yourselves in such a place where you must ask why life continues for you, and why death will not approach. I have been in such a place. It is very difficult to hear the answer in that place. There is an answer though. God is not finished with you yet.             God never tells Job the precise reasons he went through all this. God instead gives Job a greater understanding of who He is. God had a purpose in Job’s suffering to prove Satan wrong, but He also had a purpose in Job’

Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. John 12:25 ESV                 This formulation is found in every gospel, Mark 8:35, Matthew 10:39, 16:25, Luke 9:24, 14:26, and 17:33. John 12:24 says, “Truly, Truly, I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed; but if it dies it bears much fruit. One life must end so that a greater life may begin. You cannot have your own life, and have the life of Christ abide in you. The call to follow Christ as these verses tell us is a call to die to self.   This is exactly as difficult as it sounds. The more we are invested in this life, the more difficult it is to lay this life down.                 We want to eat our cake and have it to. We want to keep our lives, and gain the eternal life in Christ at the same time, but it cannot be done. As it is written we cannot serve two masters. Jesus did not die to save part us, or redeem a percenta

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 ESV             When we think of this book we likely first hear its dreary reframe, “Vanity, vanity, all is vanity.” Solomon had the ability to pursue the various courses of men, and blessed with wisdom from god to evaluate them. At the end, the very end his last word is that God’s way is the best way. We should know this from Genesis 3. We should know this from a simple understanding of God.             Taken wrongly this idea might cause us to throw-up our hands in resignation, declare everything futile, and cease in all appearance of responsibility or purpose. This would be folly. God has provided us a way of salvation, He has done the great work, and none other could have done it. However, He has given us some things to do. As the verse we have our